Tupperware Tales

Inspired by Mrs. Goodneedle's organizational skills this week, I thought I'd post about my Tupperware storage which has evolved over the years. When the kids were little, I had a Tupperware cabinet, which they loved to get into and pull every single piece out onto the floor. Here's oldest son, enjoying one of his favorite games. How many times did I pick all that up???












Now I have two Tupperware drawers where things stay pretty tidy. Please notice I have some vintage pieces, all orange, gold, and an occasional avacado green piece! I love storing Tupperware this way....I can pull out the drawer and see every piece, not climb down on all fours to find something that has crawled to the very back of the cupboard. But this has got me to thinking, what will my little grandchildren do when they come to Grammie's house? Drawers don't make Tupperware-exploring very easy. I wonder if I will have to come full circle and go back to a cabinet?












Now, my sock drawer....well, that's another story and please note I did not share photos of that!

A Sad Update

I just wanted to post here that little Jaiden lost her battle this morning. If you read my previous post from January 4, you will remember that she was hurt in a tragic accident. You can read a message from her family at Ribbons for Jaiden. How her family will cope with Jaiden's death is just unimaginable. They will continue to be in my prayers.

Are You Cozy?

For Christmas, a special friend made me a tea cozy. It's a lovely red color and lined with special fabric made to hold in the heat. She knows how much I love my pot of tea and whenever I use it, not only is my tea kept warm but my heart is warmed by her thoughtfulness. Yesterday she came for an afternoon cup of tea and we chatted for two hours, all the while our tea was staying nice and hot under the cozy. Nothing like a cozy cup of tea for these long, cold winter days.

Jury Duty

Today I spent the day in Cambridge, doing my civic obligation of making myself available for jury duty. In our state, you serve for "one day or one trial". This means that you go to a courthouse and spend the day, waiting to be impanelled on a jury. If you are not needed, then you have fulfilled your civic duty, and you will not be called again for three years. If you are impanelled on a jury, you must complete the trial, for however long it takes. Jury duty is really quite a system for making sure our judicial system is fair and equitable. All of us where there ready to serve, to give up our regular lives in order that others can have the right to a fair trial. 153 jurors showed up today, 55 were taken up to a courtroom where 12 of them were impanelled on a jury and the rest returned to the "pool". My juror number was not called, so I spent the day reading, walking around the juror floor for a little exercise, and people watching. I was amazed at what people considered "proper attire" as requested in the juror's handbook: it ranged from business suits to gym clothes, with business casual and blue jeans falling somewhere in between. Jurors ranged from young college students to elderly retired people. Some people played by the rules (me, of course!) while others did not. Apparently the signs and instructions that said "no cell phones" and "no eating in this room" were only meant for some of us.

When you are called for jury duty, the state tells you which day to show up and which courthouse to go to. Although there are two courthouses within ten miles of my home, I got called to the Cambridge Courthouse, 30 miles away. This necessitated a trip into the city by train, then taking the subway to the closest "T" stop, and then walking the rest of the way. Hubby works in Boston quite frequently so he planned to make today a Boston day and accompany me to the courthouse to alleviate my worries about getting there. Once I was dismissed from the courthouse however, it was up to me to take the subway, changing trains, and make my way to his office on the opposite side of the city. This was out of my comfort zone for sure, but I did just fine. I am quite happy that I wasn't seated on a trial because doing this everyday would have been quite stressful for me especially without Hubby. I'm not sure how all those people do this commute each day for their jobs. I guess I'm just not a city-person....I prefer my quiet little town. I know how to get everywhere, know I might meet others I know around town, and feel a sense of comfort in the suburbs. I realized today that I'm really just a small-town girl. But I'm glad I did my duty and offered to serve on a jury. Today has been an eye-opener for me.

Prayers for Jaiden

I have been touched by a very tragic story that has hit close to home. A little 8 year old girl in Milford, NH, Jaiden Tlapa, is fighting for her life at Children's Hospital in Boston after a terrible accident. While her mother was snowblowing just days before Christmas, Jaiden fell off her deck into the snowblower's path. The blower snagged her jacket and Jaiden was dragged into the machine depriving her of oxygen for a period of time. Paramedics performed CPR and transported her to Boston where she remains on life support. My daughter knows Jaiden's older sister who was student last year in the middle school where DD is the librarian. The town of Milford has rallied around this family, supporting them in ways that are so compassionate and amazing. Please visit the Prayers for Jaiden blog to learn more about this sweet little girl and leave your prayers for her. Read from the bottom of the blog to the more recent posts at the top. You will be moved. Join the thousands of people who have already visited her blog, offer prayers of your own, and urge others to pray as well. This is a family who needs as many prayers as we can give. When life takes an unexpected turn, prayer always helps.

Family Fun

It has been a wonderful week of family fun. It has been absolutely the best thing to have all my kids home at the same time. We've done a lot of eating, playing games, doing jigsaw puzzles, and talking. It's been pretty much my idea of perfection! The only thing that could have made it better was if someone had come in to do all the cooking and cleaning up, but there is something rewarding about preparing meals and feeding my family, so I can't complain too much.

Last Saturday we all journeyed up to visit my Mother-in-law at her assisted-living facility and enjoy a pizza lunch with her. Hubby's two brothers and their families came too and so all the cousins got to visit with each other which is always so much fun. Grandma is very generous to us and her grandchildren with Christmas money, but she likes to also have a gift for us to open. During the year, Grandma "shops" at the consignment store at her residence. Residents can leave their unwanted items at the store and other residents can buy them. This year she had a whole laundry basket full of things she'd put away for us to open and we all participated in a Yankee Swap. There were some interesting items: some jam, a few pairs of salt and pepper shakers, wooden bowls, and for some unknown reason, a pair of little girl's (brand new) pink cotton panties. Now what Grandma was thinking when she purchased these is beyond knowing, but they were the item to not get stuck with!! Much to everyone's laughter, our youngest son was the lucky last recipient of this item.

On Christmas Eve, we had a great lasagna dinner, oldest son's favorite, then headed off to church. When we returned, we got into our pajamas, opened one gift each, and watched "Muppet's Christmas". This has been our family tradition since 1987, the Christmas just before youngest son turned two. Muppet's Christmas was a television program just before Christmas which we had taped for the kids to watch, and for almost every day the following year, he asked to watch it again and again. Everyone learned every line of the show: "look out for the icy patch", "Hobla gobla, goofy woofy", and Miss Piggy's line about her Christmas gift to her beloved Kermy: "green, fuzzy flipper slippers". Four years ago, while visiting my sister in Missouri, she took me to a gift shop where I found a tiny pair of baby green fuzzy flipper slippers. I bought one pair with blue embroidery and another with pink and set them aside for my first grandchild. Well, the time had come.....when Miss Piggy spoke her famous line, I announced that we had to pause the tape and open this little gift. Having neglected to take a photo of my first expected grandson's slippers, here are the pink embroidered pair of green fuzzy flipper slippers (which are still safely tucked away for our first granddaughter). Needless to say, the little slippers were a big hit, and I secretly prided myself at actually remembering where I had hid them away four years ago!

Christmas morning we enjoyed opening gifts together while eating cinnamon rolls, had a wonderful "big" breakfast complete with our once-a-year bacon, played games all afternoon, and then ate our turkey dinner in the evening. What a great day!! Hubby got a Wii for Christmas (good thing because the kids received games!). We played some Guitar Hero III, Tiger Woods Golf, and Mario Party. Here are some photos of the competitive game playing and jigsaw puzzling:




It has really been a fun week here at our house. Oldest son, our daughter-in-law, their soon expected son, and their dog, all left on Wednesday evening. Tomorrow youngest son will leave to go back to school in California. So today is our last day of family fun. DD and her hubby will arrive soon to watch UConn play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl this afternoon and then we'll watch the Patriots go 16-0 tonight. Somewhere in between the two games we'll have dinner and maybe play a little more Wii. What are Hubby and I going to do when all this entertainment is over??

I Am the Lucky Recipient......

.....of wonderful gifts commemorating Mrs. Goodneedle's 300th blog post! The gifts arrived yesterday and were such a great treat. They came with a lovely snowman notecard congratulating me on being the lucky winner. One of the gifts is a pair of Life is Good snuggle socks which will certainly be put to good use this cold winter. I can never see anything "Life is Good" without thinking of her! The other item is the book, Firstlight, by Sue Monk Kidd. She is one of my favorite authors, yet I haven't read this book. From the back cover: "These collected stories and essays are organized around thirteen spiritual motifs. They trace Monk Kidd's development as a writer and spiritual seeker; explore her roles as mother, daughter, wife, nurse, and artist; and reflect on what she has learned in settings as far-flung as Africa and as familiar as her own home." I'm so eager to start this book, which of course is made additionally special because I know it is one of Mrs. G.'s favorites and so meaningful to her. Until the craziness of the holidays subsides, it will rest on my bedside table in anticipation and as a visual reminder of a long and wonderful friendship. (But, truth be known, I never need a reminder of something so precious and important!) Thank you so much, Mrs. G. Here's to many more wonderful posts from you, which always brighten my day and help me feel closer to you even though we're far apart.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas preparations are almost complete. I'm working on one more batch of cookies and then, I think, everything will be ready. The tree is up, the gifts are wrapped, the house is clean and tidy, and the beds have fresh sheets. My kids come home tonight!! Here is our tree in the family room, decorated by Hubby and me, with all the ornaments collected over our years together. Many of the ornaments are adorned with the children's names, reminders of when they were little and eager to hang them on the tree all by themselves. The tree would always be decorated on the bottom two thirds only. Hubby would make sure to hang some of "our" ornaments way up high.




One of the most special times for me in my Christmas preparations is putting out my Santas, all lovingly made some years ago by Mrs. Goodneedle. They never fail to make me smile and bring me happiness remembering how long our friendship has brought me joy.


Here is our fireplace with the stockings ready for filling. I needlepointed the four of us stockings in 1982, and added another for our youngest son for his first Christmas in 1986. This year, there are two more stockings for our daughter-in-law and our son-in-law, although this time, I let Land's End do the needlepointing. I hung them on the same little hook with their spouse. Seeing these stockings makes me happy too. My carolers look very dedicated, singing away for all time. Most of them have been given to me by my Hubby and now I continue the tradition by giving my DD and my DDIL carolers for their homes too.


Today I baked a batch of Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from a recipe given to me by my Mother-in-law. They are oldest son's favorite and he requested them. It makes me happy to make them knowing my MIL made them long before I did. Here they are, before and after. Hubby had to "test" them to make sure they were perfect before serving.

This last photo is "my" little tree in the dining room. Not only does it bring a wonderful light to the meals we share, it also holds some of my most precious ornaments. Crocheted snowflakes and a peach colored wreath my mother made for me which never fail to make me cry when I hang them, crismons I made with Mrs. Goodneedle in 1999 when she and I lived closer together than we had in 28 years, crystal stars and angels which were gifts to my friends at my Christmas Luncheons over the last 12 years, and beautiful handmade ornaments given to me by my very dear friends.

May your Christmas preparations bring you joy and fill your heart with love. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope you share it with all the ones who mean the most to you.

More White for our Christmas!

I promised a Christmas preparation post but I had to put up another photo of our snow accumulations, another 9 inches today. Compare it to the last post! We're really getting a good head start on winter. Maybe spring will come early? Today I had to drive an hour north to take my mother-in-law to her doctor appointment and since she's been having some troubles lately, I had to go. The driving wasn't great, very slow and messy, but I made it there and back in once piece and I'm glad I went. At least with all this snow it seems like Christmas and it came a day earlier than predicted. My kids come home tomorrow!

It's Going to be a White Christmas!

We have been experiencing winter here in the northeast and winter doesn't officially start until Saturday. One thing for sure is that we will have a white Christmas. Last year, we didn't have any winter weather until late in January. Even golf courses were open until then. I've sent my kids in California and North Carolina this photo which I took yesterday and wished them good flights home at the end of the week. I hope they make it since more snow is predicted for Friday. If weather gets between me and my children for Christmas I'm going to be one very grumpy lady.

A special thanks to Mrs. Goodneedle for my special gift to commemorate her 300th post on her blog. She, and little Hannas, recently drew my name to receive this honor. I will be waiting patiently for it to arrive (well, alright, rather impatiently....I can't wait!!).

Next post: Christmas preparations.

What Happens at Calumet, Stays at Calumet

I'm am way behind in posting here. It's been such a busy time, but all is well, just very hectic with lots of church work and the renovation of DD's room into our new home office. More in another post about that.

Last weekend, ten days ago now, 21 ladies from our church went up to church camp, Calumet, for our annual Mom's Weekend. It's an amazing, renewing, spiritual, relaxing weekend away, where we are pampered, encouraged, and nutured, with no responsibilities other than to enjoy ourselves. We have a wonderful Bible study on Saturday morning, and then spend the afternoon doing whatever we want, and they give us lots of options to choose from: massages, manicures, walks in the woods, trying the ropes course, making pine cones wreathes, or just being on your own to share fellowship with the other ladies or read or nap, whatever makes your heart feel light. Here we are with a few of our favorite Calumet people: Tom and Betsy Smith over on the right who are former members of our church, now retired, and living at Calumet as the Host and Hostess for retreat weekend, and Edna (standing in the middle in the white shirt), who was our musical retreat specialist. She is about to embark on a mission trip to Brazil where she will live in an orphanage for a month, teaching music to the little unwanted of that country. She told us some very sad stories of their lives there. We are sending her off with "a little something" from all of us so she can purchase supplies for her little students when she gets there. Edna is just so much fun and makes our musical time really great.

In the photo, you can see me, over on the left, holding my Calumet mug. I seem to live with my cup of tea all weekend. The Calumet mugs are very special:



Around the bottom of the mug, it says: Remember the Seventh Commandment. Now, lest you remember them in order off the top of your head from Sunday School class, the seventh commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Steal". But, they sell the mugs in the camp store, so that's why I have one which sees frequent use in my kitchen. It gives me great comfort to sip my tea from my Calumet mug, remembering all the fun times, on this annual weekend away, on our summer camping vacation in the family campground, and of all the years our children spent time at "overnight" camp there. Calumet is one of our favorite places, and also one of our favorite charities. We love to open Calumet to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

I have such great memories of our weekend away. Reconnecting with friends, bonding with new friends, and of course nourishing my close friendships as well (you can see Andrea and Judy, of my previous big socks post, also in the photo). We share a lot, laugh, cry, hug, tell ghost stories, giggle in the dark in our bunk beds, and support each other. Confidence and trust are a given. But, we always remember, "What Happens at Calumet, Stays at Calumet".

New Beginnings!!!

Hubby and I have been home from our fabulous vacation for three weeks now. You can read about our adventures on my travel blog here. We came home to all the things we'd left behind that needed some immediate attention: Darling Daughter and her new Hubby moved into their new home while we were gone, without any help from us! But as soon as we returned, we were pressed into service to help them do the things they needed some expert help with. We're experts because we've been home-owners for a long time and that counts for a lot! The day after our return, we drove up to their new home about 45 minutes away so Hubby could help install garage door openers and I could help DD buy and plant some shrubs, perennials, and mums to give the garden that fall color.




Since then, we've been back to their house so Hubby could help install plywood in the attic for storage and now that there is floor in the attic, we have more plans to help run cables and wire for TV and Internet through the attic to the other bedrooms upstairs. It's fun to watch them make this house their own and establish themselves as a family. They've painted rooms, grown a new lawn from seed, done some landscaping, hung towel rods, installed shelves, had their driveway paved, and started decorating. When we visit, it feels so comfortable and like they belong there. This is the beginning of their new life together.



We've also come back to our fall activities being in full swing. Unfortunately some things at church have become messy and time-consuming and I've been drawn into a nasty situation that I had no idea was going on. It has drained a lot of my energy and enthusiasm for all the church work I do. I find it sad that politics happen, even at church, and I am amazed the people have agendas and use manipulation, even at church. You'd think we'd be safe from that here. I'm ready to pull back, leave my committee work and just sing and ring for a while. I have much praying and decernment to do over the next several months. This may be the beginning of a new path for me at church, so I'm trying not to see this as an entirely negative time.

But, there is also some wonderful news which I've been keeping quiet to let our oldest son and our daughter-in-law share before I get too carried away. We are going to be grandparents!!! We are so excited and so happy for them and this will be the beginning of a brand new life for all of us! The new little twig on our family tree won't arrive until next May and it's going to be hard to wait that long. For now I have a sweet little ultrasound photo showing baby looking more like a swan than anything else, but he/she is already loved and eagerly awaited!!

New beginnings are such a joy!!!

Forestry 101

Last weekend, while Hubby and I were doing yard work, I noticed that we had a dead tree hanging precariously over the path through the woods to our neighbors' house. On further inspection, we realized that it was being eaten up by big ants and the tree would surely meet its downfall soon. Not wanting it to fall on someone on the path, I thought we should take it down ourselves. Hubby explained that his chain saw blade was very dull and would need to be sent out for sharpening first. Being the helpful wife I am, I made sure on Monday that I got the blade to the hardware store to be sharpened. Wouldn't want a dull blade to stand in the way of our forestry project, now, would we? I think Hubby was secretly hoping that the blade wouldn't be back in time to do this little project before we leave on vacation at the end of this week. But the store called yesterday....the blade was ready! Weeee, I exclaimed....sigh, groaned Hubby. We sounded a bit like the hippos, George and Martha (do you remember those stories?).

Today we went out to fell the tree. Our neighbors on the other end of the path came down to help and while the two ladies watched, the men with the chainsaw wielded their power. Once the dead tree was taken down, it was amazing at how many other dead trees I could see. We could take those out too, couldn't we? And what about the sick wild cherry that's dropping nasty staining berries all over the driveway? That could go too. Well, that was the last suggestion. That tree was BIG, but Hubby did agree to cut off the big limb hanging over the driveway. While cutting it up into manageable pieces, the chain saw got stuck in the tree and just hung there by it's blade. Hubby wasn't happy. He had to get out a hand-held saw to cut his chainsaw out of the cherry tree! This is when he pronounced this as Forestry 201....the project that turned into a lot more work and aggravation than he ever dreamed possible. Oh, and did I mention that all these trees are growing amongst the poison ivy? Hubby is now in the shower scrubbing every square inch of himself in hopes of not spending our vacation itching and scratching. Now that will make another interesting post! Stay tuned.....

1000 Places to See Before We Die

Have you seen the book, "1000 Places to See Before You Die" by Patricia Schultz? It is a compilation of amazing places to visit which the author believes you should see before you make that final journey at the end of life. Hubby and I checked two more places off the list yesterday. First, we journeyed out to Lenox, Massachusetts to visit Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It's a little mystifying why we had never gone before, but we decided to finally remedy that. We started out bright and early for the two and a half hour drive and arrived in time for the open rehearsal of "La Damnation de Faust" by Hector Berlioz.

Maestro James Levine conducted the Tanglewood Orchestra, the soloists, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in a working rehearsal of the piece which was wonderful to watch. The day was cool and breezy in the 60's, not a typical August day at all but we were surrounded by many elderly patrons who were dressed in their winter clothes, hats, scarfs, and bundled in blankets. There was a high cane to patron ratio. It made us wonder what would become of Tanglewood in 20 years when these patrons are long gone. Will younger people discover the joy of Tanglewood and the beauty of the setting and the music? But, I digress. Maestro Levine did a wonderful job rehearsing his performers, often going over bits of the piece again and again, looking for just the right sound. "The Damnation of Faust" is Goethe's story of Faust's love for Marguerite, for whom he makes a pact with the devil. Marguerite has been condemned to death for poisoning her mother with a sleeping potion and Faust offers himself as a servant to the devil in exchange for her freedom. Faust goes to Hell while Marguerite goes to heaven. It was a very moving story in music. We are fortunate to know one of the tenors in the chorus. He sings in our church choir with us and have talked to him often of his love of Tanglewood. It was wonderful to see him perform and experience this masterwork. During the break in the rehearsal, we moved from under the shed to the lawn where we dined on a wonderful picnic lunch, shared a bottle of wine, and enjoyed the rest of the rehearsal in the warmth of the noon-time sun. It was so tranquil.

After our lunch, we set out for the Hancock Shaker Village about a half hour away from Tanglewood. Set in the Berkshire mountains, it is an idyllic place, full of history of this now almost defunct sect of people. The Shakers began in Manchester, England and came to America in 1774. They were hard workers who believed in embracing technology, but who believed in the importance of celibacy, communal life, and the confession of sin. To perpetuate their religious sect they adopted children from outside the group and gathered converts to their new Christian movement. They made important contributions to art, craftsmanship and architecture, including this unusual round stone barn. Below is the dormitory where the Brethren and Sisters lived, in the same building, but totally separate. They did however have equal responsibilities for the working of the village and no one was allowed to do any one job for too long a time. Everyone rotated through the different chores in the village. Although at their height, there were nineteen major Shaker communities in the United States, today, the only Shakers left live in a settlement in Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

We had a lovely day, experiencing two new destinations in one day, and checking off two more places to see before we die. I think I shall have to make a working list from the suggestions in Ms. Schultz's book and actually mark each off as we see them. How many places have you seen? I plan to count ours up and I'll let you know!

August Joys

I have the bad habit of thinking of August as the end of summer, the end of carefree living, and just the precursor to the the craziness of September activities. I fear getting back into the routine of weekday evenings full of meetings, no more leisurely dinners on the deck watching the birds and sipping wine, and cooler shorter days replacing the long warm summer nights. This year I've decided to look for the positives of August, to find the things that bring me joy in this month, rather than dread the end of summer. These are a few of my favorite August things:

I love fresh tomatoes grown on my own plants, this year in a big container on the deck. They are a little worse for the wear after our vacation but they are still producing their wonderful red delights. With slices of mozzarella cheese, some fresh basil, and a little balsamic dressing, they are a true joy of August. I do believe I could live on this salad for a long time!

I also love the flowers that bloom in my garden this month. While so many of my perennials have come and gone, my black-eyed susans and my hydrangeas are blooming happily in the hot sun, eager to rise above the other plants that need a good cutting back already. They make me happy with their gorgeous colors and long-lasting blooms. Every morning I stand at my kitchen window and drink in their beauty.

So here's to August, no longer just the end of summer, but the beginning of many special things that bring me joy.

My New Cell Phone

I got a new cell phone today...a Motorola KRZR. My old one was giving me problems....it kept shutting itself off unexpectedly, even in the middle of a call. So, with our trip to Europe pending, I decided to upgrade my phone. The deals were great because my service contract was up and "The New AT&T" wanted to keep me as a customer. But the story started two days ago when I ordered a phone on-line through their website. Yesterday I got an email saying it was out-of-stock and back-ordered. Now why was I allowed to order it if it was out-of-stock?? I called Customer Care, only to be on the phone for over an hour with three different customer care representatives, none of whom could tell me when I would get my phone. With our trip looming, I needed to do something quicker than that. So finally, finally, the last rep agreed to cancel my order and reset my service contract date back to 2004 and then I could order another phone. BUT, that all wouldn't be in effect until at least 48 hours away, and then I'd have to wait till sometime next week for the phone to be mailed to me. "How can a get a phone sooner than a week from now?", I asked. I was told I could go to the AT&T store and a manager there would be able to give me the Internet price (a dramatic savings over store prices). So, after one failed trip to the store yesterday (no manager on duty to do the over-ride!), I finally got my phone today. It's lovely...it matches my eyes...hahaha...and it has fun capabilities. Thankfully, my youngest son is coming home for a visit next week and he's my expert on all things media. I want him to put our family photo on this phone to have as my wallpaper (just like my old phone), and he'll put song clips on it that will ring when family members call me. How would I know it was him calling me if my phone didn't sing, "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables??? Oh, and my new phone has a camera too. I never thought I'd needed one before, but it might come in handy occasionally. Seems like you can't get a cell phone without one now. So, I'm excited to have updated technology and blue is such a nice color!

The Attack of the (cicada) Killing Bees!

Our little neighborhood has been besieged by enormous giant wasps known as Cicada Killing Wasps. We have never seen them before and since we don't have a big cicada population, we're quite mystified as to why they have taken up residence here. They are the largest wasp in North America, measuring 1 1/2 inches long. This photo doesn't do their size any justice! They burrow into the ground, leaving big mounds of dirt in their wake, where the female lays 16 eggs. Then she goes off in hunt of food for her offspring. She kills cicadas, or other large insects, with her sting and then drags the dead bug back to the hole where it becomes food for her larvae. Oh, ICK!!



They began in the front lawn of one of our neighbors and have now spread to the grassy area on our island in the middle of our circular cul-de-sac. They are multiplying rapidly. Every day there are more mounds of dirt to be counted where they've formed their little tunnel. You can see it at the top of this photo....it's the dark circle at the top of the sand pile. What started as one nest a week ago has now grown to 40 nests! Who knew these creatures would be so prolific?

The female will sting, but the males, who appear quite aggressive guarding the nest, do not sting. None of us really want to test this theory out, so tomorrow an exterminator is coming to get rid of them. They are beneficial insects for the most part, because they kill other insects, but with children and adults sharing this space, we can no longer just watch. Updates to follow!

A New Home

Our DD and HOHO will soon be moving into their brand new home. They are having a house built for them and enjoying the excitement of watching their home become a reality. As a young couple, they are very fortunate to be starting their married life this way.


Hubby and I visited their under-construction home this week. DD was concerned about not having the proper cables for Internet in the room that will be the upstairs home office, but her Dad assured her that he would help them run the wires after they move in. To make that future job easier, he wanted to mark the rafters in the attic where he would need to run these cables. With nothing to stand on, he offered to give DD "ten fingers" so she could mark the rafters with a pencil for him. Here is their resulting collaboration. DD is learning that home improvement projects start early and that Mom will be there with a camera ready to record the occasion!

Hubby and I are thrilled for them and can't wait to see them tucked away in their little house. The neighborhood is wonderful, their house is an Energy Star home so it will be very efficient, and best of all, it will be new with very little to go wrong in the first five years. But there will be decorating and landscaping to do. I'm already planning which perennials I will divide and take to her next spring, Hubby is telling her she will need to plant a few trees, and DD is wondering what colors she will paint the rooms. All this, and they don't own a ladder, a shovel, or a lawnmower yet! It's going to be fun to watch them become homeowners!

Home from Camp

Hubby and I are home from a week of camping at the family campground at church camp. We spent a wonderful week in New Hampshire with a lot of other families from our church who enjoy this same week away. The weather was great, we slept more, ate a lot more, read, relaxed, sat on the beach, swam, talked and talked, and made s'mores over the fire. I love that we spend this week with our friends who, like us, enjoy a week away amidst the pines, chipmunks, and red squirrels. This year, more than ever before, we had to safeguard all our food and equipment from these little creatures, or "mini-bears" as Hubby calls them. They were very agressive....one red squirrel even climbed up on my chair while I enjoyed a few cashews with my glass of wine. Eeeek!!!

Here is a photo of our campsite while we were in the process of taking everything down for the trip home. I had totally forgotten to take any pictures this year, so this one just captures our screenroom and "big blue tarp" just before they came down. Darling Daughter is sitting on one of the chairs. Yes, the newlyweds are home from their honeymoon and joined us at camp for the weekend. When I asked DD if this is the way she wanted to end her honeymoon, camping with Mom and Dad, she said, "Of course, otherwise I won't get a chance to come to camp this year!". That is how much she loves it there. We really enjoyed having them with us and they were the center of attention with all our friends. So nice!

Since we got home I've been doing laundry and cleaning all our equipment. The one problem with camping is that everything, including us, comes home dirty. It's such a big job, but certainly worth it. We're back on the normal eating plan now...no more roving cocktail hours with friends, or s'mores, or doughboys, or eating big dinners at the conference center. Ah, camping is a once a year tradition that is absolutely one of my favorite things to do.

A Beautiful Wedding!

Our Darling Daughter was married last Saturday in a beautiful ceremony marking the beginning of her life with the man she loves with all her heart. They were so happy, so in love, and so thrilled to be surrounded by all the friends and family who love them so much. We are thrilled that we have another son to add to our family. He is funny, kind, and so very patient. We could not have asked for a more wonderful man for her to love.

The wedding day was perfect. The weather was so nice, there was only one minor disaster when the zipper on one of the bridesmaids dresses broke, and the reception was the best party Hubby and I have ever thrown! I was blessed to have my dearest friends enjoy our celebration with us. My very special, longest friend, Mrs. Goodneedle and I spent such lovely time together both at the reception and the next day. She gave me some wise words: I would feel a let-down after the wedding was all over. She was right, as always, but there is also a bit of relief that all our work and effort made for such a joyous day. Tomorrow Hubby and I are off for a week at family church camp. Just what we need to relax and renew.

Here are Hubby and our DD dancing their father/daughter dance to "Isn't She Lovely". This song was popular when she was born 25 years ago and we used to sing it to her when she was just a newborn. It was so fitting that they danced to it now. Probably better than all those Sousa marches he used to hum as he carried her around, hoping she'd stop her crying and drift off to sleep. Many of those marches really did work.

Here is our DD the day after the wedding, in her lovely "day after" dress, feeling exhausted from such a busy time in her life. I couldn't resist but to snap this photo. It reminded me of times long ago when she would cuddle up on the sofa and drift off, comfortable and happy. Now she and Husband of Her Own (HOHO) are off in Hawaii, enjoying the tropical breezes, relaxing, and savoring their time as they celebrate the beginning of their life together. We wish them joy, love that knows no bounds, and many, many years of happiness!